Queens Park Rangers have confirmed the appointment of Hammarby’s Marti Cifuentes as their new head coach following Gareth Ainsworth’s departure at the weekend.
Cifuentes has no experience playing or coaching in English football, having spent most of his managerial career in Scandinavia. However, the Spaniard managed to guide his Hammarby side to the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying rounds this season.
Unfortunately, the Swedish outfit failed to get past Twente in the second-qualifying round, losing by just one goal over the two legs. Nevertheless, Cifuentes’ impressive feat and scintillating football have piqued the interest of QPR.
Gareth Ainsworth was sacked on Saturday evening after a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City but the Hoops have already found their new man 48 hours later, having appointed Cifuentes to the hot seat.
Speaking in a club statement released on Monday night, CEO Lee Hoos confirmed the news:
“We are delighted to bring Martí in and I would firstly like to thank Hammarby for being fantastic to deal with throughout the process.
“Martí is an exciting appointment and we look forward to seeing the impact he can have.
“Having a succession plan in place is a necessary part of football, irrespective of how the team are performing.
“Martí is someone we have been aware of so we are really pleased to have been able to secure his services.”
QPR have also revealed that Cifuentes’ arrival is still pending a work permit.
Writer’s View
Cifuentes’ Hammarby played some of the best football in the Allsvenskan during his time at the club. However, it will be interesting to see how his football translates from an artificial pitch to Loftus Road and from Swedish to English football.
Fans may need to be patient with their new manager as it may take a few weeks for the Spanish coach to undo Ainsworth’s direct, dogmatic approach and instil a more possession-based philosophy into the team.
